AtO-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, Dacamber 24, 1994
OPINION
The Christmas Story
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be
taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was gov
ernor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed every one into his own
city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called
Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:}
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with
child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought
forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in.a manger, because there was no room for them
in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the
field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, 10, the angel
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them; and they were sore afraid. And the angel said
unto them. Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is bom this
day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And
this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in
swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them
into heaven, the shepherds said one to another. Let us now go
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass,
which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with
haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a
manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad
the saying which was told them concerning the child. All they
that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by
the shepherds.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light;
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them
hath the light shined.
For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given; and the
government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace.
North Eastern Weed Science Soci
ety Meeting, Boston, thru Jan.
Bucks-Montgomery Dairy Day,
Family -Heritage Restaurant,
Franconia.
Western Pa. Forage
Holy Bible
Northwest Rural Electric Co-
Op, Cambridge Spring, also
Jan. 10.
I \\ ”liu s(la\,
Farm Records Made Easy/Check
Writing Workshop, Willow
bank Building, Bellefonte, 10
a.m.-3 p.m., also Jan. 6.
Adams County Dairy Day, Exten
sion Office, 10 a.m.-2;30 p.m.
Western Pa. Forage Schools,
Brown’s Country Kitchen, Por
tersville, also Jan. 11.
Lancaster County Tobacco Show,
Farm and Home Center, youth
entries 9 a.m„ adult entries
10:30 a.m., judging 1 p.m.
Chester County Dairy Day, East
Brandywine Fire Hall,
Guthricsville.
Ihurs(l;i\, lami.in 5
Sprayer Meeting, Elder’s Sales
and Service, Stoneboro.
Northeast Regional Tomato Grow
ers meeting, Thompson’s Dairy
Bar, Clark’s Summit, 9:30 a.m.
Western Pa. Forage School, Sandy
Kayes Restaurant, Shelocta,
also Jan. 12.
Franklin County Dairy Day,
To Clean
Vehicles
Getting your vehicle ready for
winter includes more than check
ing the mechanical parts and fluid
levels. It also means cleaning.
The best way to prepare the out
side of your car or truck for winter
is to clean it Salt and snow are less
likely to erode a clean surface.
Dirt, salt, and stones accumulate in
hard-to-reach nooks and crannies
under the fenders thus, holding
moisture and promoting corrosion.
You may flush them out by
using the garden hose’s nozzle
attachment or going to the local car
wash. To properly clean a car or
truck, attack the interior first.
Use a household vacuum clean
er to clean the carpet or rugs and
seats. Next, clean the inside win
dows with a glass cleaning product
to cut the hazy film.
Scrub rubber or vinyl mats with
a brush saturated with a light duty
liquid dish washing detergent
Mats cleaned this way will look
almost new. When washing the 1 '
exterior of the vehicle, start at the
top and work down.
To Use
Tractors' Safely
Wednesday, officially marked
the beginning of winter. Even
though planting and harvest sea
sons are the high risk times for
tractor accidents, the lower use
winter period should not be
overlooked.
Farm safety specialists have
noted that tractors used for towing
are extremely unstable if incorrect
hitching is used.
When towing a car or truck out
of a snowbank, tow chains or ropes
should be attached at the drawbar
so that the tractor’s center of gravi
ty is not disrupted. Logs being
dragged should also be hitched
properly and a safe speed main
tained so that any logs which may
become wedged between stumps
or fence posts will not result in a
rear overturn.
Tractor operators should also
reduce their speed on snow and ice
Kauffman’s Community Cen
ter, Chambersburg, 9 a.m.-2:30
p.m.
Berks County Dairy Day, Berks
Writing Workshop, Willow
bank Building, Bellefonte, 10
a.m.-3 p.m.
Penn Jersey Dairy Management
Seminar, Holiday Inn,
Bethlehem.
Potter County Holstein Annual
Meeting, Ulysses Community
Pennsylvania State Farm Show.
(Turn to Pag* All)
covered lanes and roads. Many
tractor overturns occur when they
slide off die road’s surface and into
a ditch.
To Look At
Farm Trends
A new USDA report titled “The
New Generation of American Far
mers; Farm Entry and Exit Pros
pects for the 1990’5” makes some
interesting observations.
More than 500,000 older far
mers will leave farming between
1992 and 2002 and will be
replaced by about 250,000 new
and younger fanners. Farm num
bers should decline to about 1.7
million by 2002 compared with 2.1
million in 1987.
That does not mean there is a
threat to the food supply, because
farms now produce so much more
than in past decades.
The traditional pool of new far
mers is made up of children who
grew up on farms. With more peo
ple leaving farming than entering,
there will be fewer but larger
farms.
s r
BY I.vmNCE W AUHQUSf
*IBOI32>S
iff
ARE YOU ONE OF THE
WISE MEN!
December 25,1994
Background Scripture:
Matthew 2
Devotional Reading:
Isaiah 11:1-9
Marco Polo tells us that in his
travels he came across a village in
Persia from which, according to the
villagers, the wise man started on
their journey following the star of
Bethlehem. Various scholars
believe that the star which they fol
lowed might have been a conjunc
tion of the planets Saturn and
Jupiter in 7 B.C. or Halley’s Comet
in 12 B.C. It is believed that these
wise men were astrologers and
members of a Median tribe of
priests or a Zoroastrian priestly
caste.
The Bible itself—Matthew
only says very little of these
men, only that they were wise
men/Magi and from the East. Later
tradition presumed that, because
there were three gifts gold,
frankincense and myrrh there
were three of them and somebody
later gave them names Caspar,
Melchior and Balthazzar and put
them on camels. Tradition also
determined that Balthazzar was
black. Historians tell us that an
embassy of Parthian magi paid trib
ute to Nero at Naples in A.D. 66 and
returned home by another route.
Smart Guys
Vs. Wise Men
The traditional details make the
story more colorful, but we must
not miss some of the meaning
implicit tn the Biblical account.
Beyond the facts of who and what
they were and what it was that led
them to Bethlehem, we can appreci
ate that these men, like Joseph and
Mary, were persons who were
responsive to God’s revelation and
had the faith to act upon it. As
George Arthur Buttrick says, “the
magi acted with abandon.”
I love that sentence, but I doubt
that I would live up to it. It is a long
time since I have acted with aban
don in matters of faith. Where and
when did I learn such caution and
reserve? Their example of faith
serves to indict me of calculation
when dedication is what God asks
of me. Without the benefit of the
Hie challenge to young farmers
altering fanning is building equi
ty. Fewer young farmers can easily
replace the large number of older
farmers if the transfer of assets
across generations can be
accomplished.
Government policy and family
values will determine who will
own farm assets. Farm operators
are either looking at land rental or
contract fanning as a strategy to
stay in fanning.
Land rental permits farmers to
take advantage of economies of
scale of large farms with a smaller
capital investments. This then per
mits entry to young farmers with
limited financial resources.
Since contractors often furnish
variable inputs, animal inventory
and coordinate financing of build
ings and equipment, contract pro
duction may allow entry by per
sons with lower equity levels.
Feather Profs Footnote:
'There is no exercise better for the
heart than reaching out and lifting
people up."
Hebrew Old Testament or the
Greek New Testament, these man
found a message in the heavens and
followed it My own hesitancy is a
sign of the times, for the really
smart guys of today, the clever and
calculating, the worldly wise and
experienced they wouldn’t fol
low a star, no matter how bright.
Silent Night
Holy Night
Something else about these men
intrigues me; when they found the
Christ child, “they went into the
house, fell down and worshipped
Him” (2:11). They didn’t take any
photographs, sell any souvenirs, or
ask for autographs. That wasn’t
why they were there. As John Rusk
ing put it; “These men, for their own
part, came I beg you very
earnestly again to note this not to
see, not to talk but to do rever
ence. They are neither curious nor
talkative, but submissive.” They
came to do exactly what they told
Herod: “...we have seen his star in
the East, and have come to worship
Him” (2:2).
There is nothing wrong in all the
clamor that surrounds Christmas so
long as we do not let it get in the
way of what Christmas is really all
about: to worship God in Christ and
submit ourselves to Him. I love the
carols, the decoration, the Christ
mas cards and letters, the holiday
foods, the special activities and get
togethers, but most of all I love the
“silent nights, holy nights” when I
can realize once again “how silent
ly, how silently the wondrous gift is
given,” and, meditating upon the
meaning of the Christ Child, find
Him reborn in me.
Being a wise man in this season
means swimming against the
worldly tide, for following the star
always seems to be contrary to
common sense and practicality. The
smart guys, like Herod, know that
and they never find the manger. But
wise men abandon themselves to
their faith and, following a different
light, are the ones who find their
way to the Christ Child.
To all readers: A VERY
BLESSED. CHRISTMAS
Lancaster Farming I
Established 1955
Published Every Saturday
Ephrata Review Building
1 E. Main St
Ephrata, PA 17522
by
Lancaster Farming, (no.
A Stttmmn ErMqwiM
Robert Q. Campbell General Manager
Evens H. Newswangar Managing Edtor
Copyright IH4 by Lancaatar Farming